How about a bit of background for you city folk who haven't ventured to Martin City. What a place. After you cross the train tracks, you arrive in a quaint little downtown. The restaurant's tiny parking lot was full, so Justin and I had to park down a residential street filled with beautiful old homes proudly displaying "Notable Historic Property" signs. It was just as much River City as Martin City, for the Rodgers and Hammerstein fans out there. I could absolutely live here, which would mean I could walk to the Brewing Co. anytime.
Now on to the restaurant. First, we were greeted by the owner. He worked hard as did the friendly waitstaff. The place has charm: the clapboard and aluminum siding walls are rustic, with funky paintings paying tribute to the likes of Billie Holiday and BB King. There's even a loft space above the main dinning area with (what looked like) an original tin roof ceiling. The bar area is cozy, just watch those steps after you've been sampling their beer.
Now that I mention beer, this place has the best selection I've come across in Kansas City. And the prices are unbelievable. I ordered a Tallgrass Pale Ale, which I tasted and declared to be the perfect beer. Seriously, try one.
The menu was impressive, especially the large selection of different appetizers (like risotto balls. Who wouldn't want to try that?). I ordered the egg and sage sandwich. It was pretty good: toasted sourdough with tomato and aioli. I tried Justin's scallop special, and it was very tasty.
One more thing: the music. This place played great stuff: CCR and Led Zeppelin. Yet even with its bustling, beerhouse feel, the noise was just the right level to make conversation easy. I have a feeling our hosts go through quite a lot of trouble to make diners feel comfortable.
I recommend this place to anyone looking for a relaxing meal, group dinner or beer on the patio while watching a band. My rating at the restaurant was 4/5, but I have such fond feelings for the place, I'm upping it to 4.25/5.
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